Storage System

1. A storage system, comprising: a shared memory, storage devices and control units having a plurality of circuit boards that carry out control for storing data in the storage devices, wherein each of the circuit boards comprises a CPU; an I/O processor for controlling inputs and outputs between the CPU and the storage devices; a memory which the CPU and the I/O processor use for jobs; a nonvolatile memory which holds firmware; and a network control section that provides services concerning the data inputs and outputs to an information processing apparatus connected via a first network by an OS which operates on the CPU, a cluster of fail-over processing is formed with said circuit boards including at least one targeted circuit board for an update of firmware, each of the control units has a service moving function for taking over the services between OSs on the circuit boards in the cluster, the storage system executes, at the time of updating the firmware for said targeted circuit board for said update of firmware, processings including: service move processing to move service being provided by the OS of said targeted circuit board to the OS of another one of the circuit boards in the cluster by the service moving function; firmware update processing for updating the firmware on the nonvolatile memory of said targeted circuit board to a new firmware by the use of a firmware update program and a new firmware image for the targeted circuit board which is in a non-service providing state after the move of the service, and the I/O processor of said each circuit boards monitors a state of the respective CPU, stores OS state information, that represents operating and installation conditions for the respective OS, on the shared memory, and decides whether to shut down the respective OS and whether to move service between the circuit boards by referring to the OS state information on the shared memory.

2. The storage system according to claim 1 , wherein in the firmware update processing, for said targeted circuit board which is in the non-service providing state after the move of the service, based on the control of the I/O processor, the storage system shuts down the Os, resets and reboots the CPU, and activates the previous firmware on the nonvolatile memory, the activated previous firmware loads the firmware update program to the memory to move the control, and the firmware update program loads the new firmware image to the nonvolatile memory, writes the new firmware image to the nonvolatile memory to update the firmware, resets the CPU, and activates the new firmware after the update, and by the activated new firmware, the OS is activated, and the I/O processor notifies the firmware update completion.

3. The storage system according to claim 1 , wherein for said targeted circuit board for which firmware update is completed by executing the service move processing and firmware update processing, the storage system carries out processing to return back the service moved to said OS of another circuit board in the cluster by the service move function.

4. The storage system according to claim 1 , wherein when a number of said targeted circuit boards for the update of firmware is more than one, the storage system successively executes the processing including the service move processing and the firmware update processing on the targeted circuit boards.

5. The storage system according to claim 1 , wherein when a number of said targeted circuit boards for the update of firmware is more than one, the storage system concurrently and in parallel executes processing including the service move processing and the firmware update processing on the targeted circuit boards.

6. The storage system according to claim 1 , wherein the I/O processor of said each circuit boards is connected to a maintenance device through a second network, the maintenance device carries out the service move processing based on the communication with said each circuit boards through the second network and update control processing for inputting and outputting the information on the firmware update processing and directions for the jobs related to the firmware update, and the maintenance device carries out processing for transmitting the firmware update program and the new firmware image to the I/O processor of said targeted circuit board at the time of the firmware update, according to directions for the I/O processor of said targeted circuit board from the maintenance device, executes the firmware update processing on said targeted circuit board based on the control of the I/O.

7. In the storage system according to claim 1 , wherein the storage system further comprises another information processing apparatus which is equipped with a managing program same as the information processing apparatus, and in the service move processing, the information processing apparatus for control performs the processing to transmit the direction for moving the service to OS of said targeted circuit board via the first network, and OSs of the circuit boards move the service between OSs of the circuit boards in the cluster based on the directions from the information processing apparatus for managing.

8. In the storage system according to claim 6 , wherein the maintenance device conducts the processing for transmitting the firmware update program and the new firmware image with the I/O processor of a representative targeted circuit board of a plurality of targeted circuit boards for the update of firmware, the I/O processor of the representative targeted circuit board conducts the processing for storing the firmware update program and the new firmware image to the shared memory, and said plurality of targeted circuit boards for the update of firmware performs the firmware update processing by the use of the firmware update program and the new firmware image stored in the shared memory.

9. The storage system according to claim 6 , wherein the storage system further comprises another information processing apparatus which is equipped with a managing program same as the information processing apparatus, and when the firmware is being updated, the information processing apparatus for managing performs the processing for transmitting directions for moving the service to the circuit boards through the first network based on the update control processing in the maintenance device and allows the services to be moved between the OSs on the circuit boards in the cluster based on the directions, and after the service moves, the maintenance device performs the processing to transmit the firmware update directions to the I/O processor of said targeted circuit board to allow the I/O processor to carry out the firmware update processing based on the directions.

10. The storage system according to claim 6 , wherein when the firmware is being updated, the maintenance device conducts processing for transmitting firmware update directions to the I/O processor of said targeted circuit board via the second network, the I/O processor of said targeted circuit board gives directions for service move and shut-down to the OS based on the directions from the maintenance device, and the OS of said targeted circuit board carries out the move for taking over the service between OSs on the circuit boards in the cluster, executes shut-down, and performs the firmware update processing after the shut-down based on the directions from the I/O processor of said targeted circuit board.

11. The storage system according to claim 6 , wherein when the firmware is being updated, the maintenance device conducts processing for transmitting directions to interrupt the service and update the firmware to a number of said targeted circuit boards, and the targeted circuit boards interrupt the service being provided and do not carry out service move processing based on the directions from the maintenance device, and then perform the firmware update processing, and upon completion of the update, resume the interrupted service.

12. The storage system according to claim 7 , wherein in the case where the new firmware image has been stored in the shared memory at the time of expanding the circuit boards to the control units, the storage system carries out processing for deciding whether or not the update is required for the firmware in the circuit boards expanded by referring to the version of the firmware on the respective nonvolatile memory of the circuit boards expanded and the version of the new firmware image stored on the shared memory, and in the event that the update is decided necessary, the storage system acquires the firmware update program and the new firmware image through the respective I/O processor and a second network in the expanded circuit boards and carries out firmware update processing for updating the firmware on the respective nonvolatile memory to the new firmware.

13. The storage system according to claim 7 , in the case where the new firmware image has not been stored on the shared memory at the time of expanding the circuit boards to the control units, and other circuit boards are in operation, the storage system directs the respective I/O processor of the circuit boards under operation through a second network from a maintenance device, the respective I/O processor of the circuit boards under operation directs the CPU in accordance with the directions to read the new firmware image from the respective nonvolatile memory, performs the processing for storing the new firmware image read to the shared memory, the storage system carries out processing for deciding whether or not the update is required for the firmware in the circuit boards expanded by referring to the version of the firmware on the respective nonvolatile memory of the circuit boards expanded and the version of the new firmware image stored on the shared memory, and in the event that the update is decided necessary, the storage system acquires the firmware update program and the new firmware image through the respective I/O processor and the second network in the expanded circuit boards and carries out firmware update processing for updating the firmware on the respective nonvolatile memory to the new firmware.

14. The storage system according to claim 7 , wherein in the case where the new firmware image has not been stored on the shared memory at the time of expanding the circuit boards to the control units and other circuit boards are not in operation, the storage system transmits the firmware update program and the new firmware image to the respective I/O processor of the circuit boards expanded from a maintenance device through a second network, the expanded circuit boards perform the processing for storing the firmware update program and the new firmware image to the shared memory, the storage system carries out processing for deciding whether or not the update is required for the firmware in the circuit boards expanded by referring to the version of the firmware on the respective nonvolatile memory of the circuit boards expanded and the version of the new firmware image stored on the shared memory, and in the event that the update is decided necessary, the storage system carries out firmware update processing for updating the firmware on the respective nonvolatile memory to the new firmware in the expanded circuit boards.

15. The storage system according to claim 7 , wherein when circuit boards of the control units are replaced, the storage system carries out processing for deciding whether or not the update is required for the firmware in the circuit boards replaced by referring to the version of the firmware on the respective nonvolatile memory of the circuit boards replaced and the version of the new firmware image stored on the shared memory or the version of the new firmware image acquired from the maintenance device, and in the event that the update is decided necessary, the storage system acquires the firmware update program and the new firmware image through the respective I/O processor and a second network in the replaced circuit boards and carries out firmware update processing for updating the firmware on the respective nonvolatile memory to the new firmware, and conducts the processing for returning the service from other circuit boards which took over the service being provided by the circuit board before replacement as required after the completion of update.

16. A storage system, comprising: a shared memory, storage devices and control units having a plurality of circuit boards that carry out control for storing data in the storage devices, wherein each of the circuit boards comprises a CPU; a memory which the CPU uses for jobs; a nonvolatile memory for holding firmware; and network control sections, and provides services concerning the data inputs and outputs to a first information processing apparatus connected via a first network by an OS which operates on the CPU, a cluster of fail-over processing is formed with said circuit boards including at least one targeted circuit board for update of firmware, each of the control units has a service moving function for taking over the services between OSs on the circuit boards in the cluster, a second information processing apparatus is equipped with a managing program same as the first information processing apparatus, the storage system carries out, at the time of updating of firmware for said targeted circuit board, processing for transmitting directions for the updating of firmware to the OS of the targeted circuit board from the second information processing apparatus through the first network, and based on the directions, the storage system executing the processings including: service move processing for moving service being provided by the OS of the targeted circuit board to the OS of another one of the circuit boards in the cluster by the service moving function, and firmware update processing for updating the firmware on the nonvolatile memory of said targeted circuit board to a new firmware by operating a firmware update program in the OS by the use of the firmware update program and a new firmware image for the target circuit board which is in a non-service providing state after the move of the service, and wherein the I/O processor of said each circuit boards monitors a state of the respective CPU, stores OS state information, that represents operating and installation conditions for the respective OS, on the shared memory, and decides whether to shut down the respective OS and whether to move service between the circuit boards by referring to the OS state information on the shared memory.

17. The storage system according to claim 16 , wherein at the time of updating the firmware, the second information processing apparatus performs processing for transmitting directions to move the service from the OS of said targeted circuit board through the first network as the service move processing, based on the directions, the OS of said targeted circuit board moves the service between OSs on the circuit boards in the cluster, after the service is moved, the storage system performs processing for transmitting the firmware update program and the new firmware image to OS of said targeted circuit board from the second information processing apparatus, and the OS of said targeted circuit board executes the firmware update program and conducts the firmware update processing using the new firmware image.

18. The storage system according to claim 16 , wherein when the firmware is being updated, the second information processing apparatus performs processing for transmitting directions to update the firmware to the OS of said targeted circuit board through the first network, the OS of said targeted circuit board performs the processing for moving the service between OSs on the circuit boards in the cluster, and then shuts down to perform the firmware updating processing after the shut-down.

19. The storage system according to claim 16 , wherein when the firmware is being updated, the second information processing apparatus performs processing for transmitting directions to interrupt the service and update the firmware to OSs of a number of said targeted circuit boards, and the OSs of the targeted circuit boards interrupt the service being provided and do not carry out service move processing based on a directions from the maintenance device, and then perform the firmware update processing, and upon completion of the update, resume the interrupted service.